Tobias Francis, leader of the Chicago-via-Portland post-punk band Soft Kill, has reportedly been convicted of domestic abuse. The band's Instagram page, which is no longer under Francis' control, posted his mugshot today, along with this caption: "Tobias Channing Francis was convicted this morning of domestic battery." The website for the Cook County Sheriff's Department confirms that Francis was taken into custody in March had a court date set for today.
Francis performs under the name Tobias Grave, has been making music with Soft Kill since 2011. The group's lineup has shifted many times, and it has often just been Francis and his partner Nicole Colbath. In a 2024 Stereogum feature on the band, our own Danielle Chelosky wrote, "The story of the project often starts with the tumultuous history: Grave’s struggle with addiction and stints in prison, which he discusses openly and grapples with in the songs. He got sober in 2018, and the music has since lifted from a dark fog into a more present, vibrant place."
In March, Lambgoat reported that Empire Down's Jon Hammer called out Francis for domestic abuse, among other things. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Hammer wrote, "Fuck this woman beating, abusive, lying, stealing, shit talking, culture vulture peice of shit. Tobias Francis from Soft Kill is a woman beater. Hope you rot you wannabee skin chameleon. Get fucked bitch."
On his Instagram story, Hammer apparently had more to say after Francis' arrest:
I was in the band for three months before I realized this guy wasn't on the level. His entire biography is a lie, he is a rich kid that manufactured a story about gang life and addiction to grift.
Anything this dude tells you is a lie. He was never in prison. He is not "in recovery". He had nazi tattoos. He did not grow up in the streets. His father is a millionaire record producer that has bailed him out every time he gets in trouble. It stops here. Chicago is a zero tolerance city for unrepentant domestic abusers.
Over the summer, Francis started a new account for the band at softkillisaband, saying the original account was "stolen" from him. "the REAL crime in question where overnight I lost access to everything and was given an ultimatum to regain control of my art and life," he wrote in July. "I refused and the rest will soon be history but not before it’s all on the table for the world to see."
